My New Home

Ok, here it is. For those of you who don't have facebook, I'm finally going to give you a glimpse of the place I now call home. I have no idea how well this (putting the pictures on here) will go because, as I'm writing this, I can't tell which picture is where. I can tell you that the caption is below the picture. Oh, and no pictures of my bedroom on this post. I have yet to get any furniture besides a bed.



my bathroom (i knew it wouldn't do to leave this one out)
except now there's no mirror and it's more organized



the 'dining room' (aka, the table behind the couch)



the kitchen




the living room and the balconey (complete with hammock and incredible view of the city)

Forget the box...just think outside

I have been reminded every day since arriving here why I love Natal. I've met a lot of my new readers and their friends/family members/significant others. Some of them I'm already pretty good friends with already. I just love Brazilians.

For example, tonight the current LST team from Oklahoma Christian University had their farewell party. I started the party talking to a reader who shares my interest in linguistics. We talked about American English and British English and Brazilian Portuguese accents. Boring for you maybe, but interesting to me and Bruno. After the party, I talked to my future reader Ana Mara and her brother Hermony (er-mo-knee) who I met on Wednesday and saw a movie with last night. We, along with a church member and Ryan, talked and laughed for a while then started taking pictures. When pretty much everyone had left the auditorium, Ana Mara, Hermony, and another reader Tiago gave us Samba and Hip-hop lessons. Samba is a traditional Brazilian dance. Yes, we danced in the church (don't worry, not suggestively, and I was horrible at it). Then they helped me with my Portuguese. It was like we'd been friends for a long time.

Speaking of learning Portuguese, I have been. I've learned all sorts of good stuff. When I speak it, people shout "Ay Lacy! Esta falando Portugues (You're speaking Portuguese)!" like they're really surprised that I actually know words in their language. It's great. I keep being called cute when I speak Portuguese. My favorite words to learn are English words with Portuguese pronunciation. For example, Microsoft Word is pronounced worgeye; download is downloagey; powerpoint is powerpoinchey; milkshake is milkshakey; and internet is internechey. My absolute favorite is facebook, pronounced faceybookey. I love to say it how they say. Then we crack up for about 5 minutes.

I start my reading sessions on Monday! I am SO EXCTIED about it!!!! Please pray that the Lord speaks through me and that He gives me the wisdom I need to respond to my readers. The first English worship service is tomorrow, which, of course, I'm REALLY EXCITED about!! I loved our ones last year and can't wait for tomorrow! The firt Portuguese worship service is also tomorrow. You guessed it, I'm SUPER EXCITED!! The confraternizacao (like a meet-and-greet except you kiss everyone on the cheek) is my favorite part. I've been looking forward to it for a year. Praise God that He brought me back to Natal! Though, of course, I miss my family. I love you family and friends!!!

With muito amor (much love),
Lacy

P.S. I got the title of my blog from a t-shirt a reader was wearing tonight. Isn't it great?

In Brazil Again

I made it! It took us 26 hours to get here, but the flights and layovers were well worth it! It's so good to be back. I've seen so many people I know from last year. I'm so happy to see them all again. I'm remembering why I love this place so much!! I start reading sessions on Monday. I'm so excited!

Right now I'm sitting in my living room, looking out at the lights of Natal. Our apartment overlooks the northern part of the city, and in the distance, we can see the ocean. Not much of it, but enough to count. It's a nice apartment. I like it alot. And I have a great roommate, Cris. She's been here since September doing LST work. She's been a huge help. I'm so thankful for her.

This is so surreal. I can hardly believe I'm here. And that God wanted me to come back. I am blessed beyond anything I'll ever deserve. Have a wonderful day! Deus te abencoe (God bless)!

The Journey Begins Again

Hello Blogreaders!

I began this blog last summer as a way to keep family and friends updated on the happenings during a mission trip to Natal, Brazil, with Let's Start Talking. Almost one year ago, I posted an entry for what I thought might be the last time. Thankfully, God had other plans. In one week, I'm heading back to Natal to spend one year sharing the message of Jesus, making new friends, and helping many Brasilians with their English.

AND I'M EXCITED!

My visa is ready, and (hopefully) I'll receive it today or tomorrow. I have my plane tickets. Hopefully I won't lose them. Now all I have to do is pack. How do you fit a years worth of stuff into 2 suitcases and a large carry-on? Very carefully and very tightly.

Check back for updates on the work the Lord is doing in Natal, interesting stories from life, and deep, wise insights into the life of a pilgrim. Have a wonderful day! May God bless you all so that you can be a blessing to others! Tchau!

The End of the Journey

I am sitting in a hotel in Dallas as I write this. We left Brazil yesterday. The last six weeks have been absolutley amazing. There just are not words that are adequate to describe it. I fell in love with Brazil. Everyone we met was wonderful. The Lord did some amazing work through us. There are now about 7 or 8 people doing Bible studies with the missionaries because of LST. We got really close with so many people. It was so hard to leave them. About 20 people came to the airport to say goodbye. And 7 or 8 stayed until we went through security and they could no longer see us. As I walked to our gate, I turned around and saw them standing there waving to us, most of them in tears. I miss them already. That was the hardest goodbye I've ever had to say. Leaving was definitely the hardest part of this trip.

I just want to thank each of you for your support, whether financially or prayer. None of this would have been possible without you. I will be grateful to you forever. This experience has changed my life. And I pray that you will someday have one just like it.

My prayer now is that the Lord will send me back to Natal, Brazil someday soon.

God bless each of you.

It's not all my fault...

Today is a glorious day! Sarah, the reader you know all about by now, came this morning. We read Lesson 15 (from Luke 11:1-13) about continuing to ask, look, and knock. We talked about things that people look for in today's world. Our conversation went something like this:

Me: What are you looking for?
Sarah: I am looking for knowledge, God, and love.
Me: I think that if you find God, you'll find knowledge and love.
Sarah: Really? Yes.
Me: How will you find God?
Sarah: I pray, read the Bible, come to this church. And it's all your fault.
Me: How is it my fault?
Sarah: We spend all the morning reading God's Word, talking about the love of God and God's power that changed your life. I didn't read my Bible. Now I read it every night. It's your fault.

Actually, I don't believe that I did very much. I am just the life and the mouth God used to speak to her. She wants to start studying the Bible with someone from the church. Tonight I am going to introduce her to the missionaries so they can talk about a Bible study. God is amazing!

As Paul quotes Jesus in 2 Corinthians, "My power is made perfect in weakness." How true that is! To think that God used my past (and probably present) weaknesses to speak to her heart and draw her closer to Him...I stand amazed and in awe of Him who sent me here.

The Lord is working

Another week has come and gone. We are now into our fifth week here. It has been amazing. We've gotten pretty close to some of our readers and to each other's readers. We had about 7 readers at our English Bible study yesterday. About 5 of them stayed for worship. One of my readers, the girl I've posted about, was there. She said she really liked it and would like to go next Sunday too. Several of the readers have been asking us, the missionaries, and other church members questions about Christianity, the Bible, etc. They seem pretty interested. We are so amazed by the way God is working here!

Here is a link for some more pictures:
http://atu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2030585&l=6b0e8&id=73101414